Heading west on I-90, we are seeing actual machines working in the fields. It's Saturday. Where have they been all week? Also motorcycles are passing us. Sturgis is on up the road, but weekend activities there are not about motorcycles. We'll check it out in a few days. We turn south on a scenic loop through the Badlands National Park. The Badlands are lands that have eroded into harsh terrain that is almost impossible to find a passable trail through, and therefore very 'bad' for early explorers and settlers. The loop road is good and comfortable driving, except for some long hills. And people are allowed to hike and climb around any where, which seems unusual. We heard of a place nearby where we could boondock or 'dry camp' (no hookups) on government land, and like to do that. Just after leaving the Badlands National Park we were in the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, operated by the US Forest Service. We missed the gate to go in, so we had to find a place to pull off the road, unhook the jeep and go back. We took pictures of the gate and road as we were coming out, but check out the gate and see how easily we may have missed it. Once in, we parked right on the rim overlooking the Badlands. This is probably the most spectacular spot we have camped in. There was another camper there about 200 yards away, but the isolation was great. We could see cars on the road and on I-90 in the distance. We could also see the town of Wall, 6 miles away. Click on the pics below to see them larger. Mary Lou spotted a group of eight pronghorn antelopes (we think - they were maybe a quarter mile away in the valley floor below us). She was using the binoculars most of the day. The green area near the top is the valley floor. The sun put on a spectacular show for us. Sunset that evening on the left, sunrise the next morning on the right. We hated to leave this place, but we decided to move on up the road to Wall, South Dakota. One of my two most favorite girl cousins has been awaiting our visit to Wall (I only have two girl cousins). To find out why, Stay tuned.
5 Comments
Charles Goldmeyer
7/2/2013 01:47:47 am
Please telestrate all vehicles. I was lost looking at the other two pictures in the group of 3. Also the Pronghorn are the fastest land animals in North America and second only to the Cheetah in the World. They can run up to 55 mph for 1/2 a mile. Try and catch one in the Jeep.
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Ruby Hale
7/2/2013 02:57:14 am
Really enjoying "our" trip.
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7/2/2013 03:35:32 am
WE ARE ENJOYING EACH DAY OF OUR TRIP ALONGSIDE YOU AND MARY LOU... WHILE WE HAVE TRAVELED MOST PARTS OF THE GOOD OLE USA... YOU ARE IN AN AREA WE MISSED... SO WE PLAY CATCH-UP THRU U. TOM AND PAT
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Ramsey Williams
7/2/2013 03:56:11 am
The sunrise/sunset pictures are beautiful! Just have a wonderful time while you have each other.
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